In the coming weeks and months you'll be reading here and in other places about the changes coming to the Welch Library. If you've been around campus (or even if you haven't) you've probably heard these changes involve the Library building itself. This is true. Over time, we've found that more patrons access the library electronically and utilize the physical space less and less. This is also true. What you should keep in mind is that these changes are being made in the best interests of our patrons.

"Will the Library be the same?"

The greater question is: what is the Library? Is it the building itself? Or is it the service and services you receive. We want to provide greater amounts of these. Moving forward, this is ultimately the true test. Can we provide the resources you want. Perhaps you'll discover that the "rituals" you enjoyed that are associated with the Library will no longer be in place. There's no denying these will be different. But in the information/technology age change comes almost on a daily basis. Doctors now travel with tablets and gadgets. Health information is conveyed through a variety of protocols.

We think the Library is people. And the people at Welch will continually try to serve our community the best we can. You've told us that online access to journals and databases is a priority. We want to make sure you have this access. We also want to continually update our collection, in order to stay as current as possible. The new methods we'll be implementing are designed to make what the Library has to offer easier and more efficient. Think of us as launching a grand "outreach program". We intend to improve and expand our presence on campus, and hopefully our patrons will have a fuller understanding of the collaborative role the Welch Library can play in their future. We're not trying to re-invent the wheel. We're just trying to make your scholastic, academic and research life a little better.

We know the shock of the new doesn't always come with a 100% approval rating. Customer service has continual peaks and valleys. We anticipate some disorientation, questions and perhaps a little anxiety. Our only defense is that we want to be better. We want to do more for you. Behind the numbers, behind all the facts we could present----the heart and soul of the changes we're presenting is...............doing more for our patrons. Providing those services and resources ---- Wherever You Are!

DisclaimerThe views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the blog author(s). The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by Welch Medical Library of The Johns Hopkins University.